If you are married, your spouse may also be looking for work to do. Be sure you are both of one mind in taking the decision to move abroad and discuss thoroughly, before you go, what you will do if only one of you is able (or allowed) to work. This will not be easy. Avoid, at all costs, getting drawn into a disgruntled expatriate 'fault finding' group when you get there.
It is important to involve the children in the planning process (according to their age and understanding). Children can benefit greatly from living overseas (so don't think that having a family means you can't go). The new opportunities, new experiences and new understandings can be wonderfully liberating for a family. Their skill at language learning may well prove to be a help to you! Make the most of it. Having said that, the beginning of the teenage years is probably not the best time to be uprooting your family and taking them into another culture.
Marion Knell's book -
Families on the move – is full of good advice – (See Appendix 3)
Find out as much as possible about what you should take with you, especially for the children. Explore the best means available for their education. However good the local schools, be prepared to 'home-school' your children. Make sure you have a good idea of what they should be learning. Speak to their teachers and try to get a copy of their current curriculum and take some teaching materials with you, if necessary.
World-wide Education Services –
www.weshome.com – is a useful source of information
Children usually adapt well to new situations, especially if they have been included in the family's planning of the move but they may well miss their friends. Make sure they are able to say their goodbyes properly and correspond with them while they are away.
Internet, email and Skype can make a fantastic difference and if you can set up links for them it will be helpful.
Make or update your Will before you go abroad, bearing in mind the question of guardianship for your children should something happen to you.
